ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., March 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF) today announced a new partnership with the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF), the nation's leading tissue bank, to administer research grants to plastic surgeons to advance the science of tissue transplantation, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. As part of the partnership, MTF will provide The PSF with $100,000 in grant funding to support innovative research related to allogeneic (donated) tissues and their use in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.
"MTF's support for funding research in this pivotal area of plastic surgery is unprecedented for The PSF," said Charles Verheyden, MD, president of The PSF. "The PSF has a well established research grant program and can be the bridge to getting this grant funding to qualified plastic surgeon scientists whose research could pave the way to the next life changing discovery in tissue sciences – possibly a leap forward as important as face transplants. We are excited to be aligned with MTF on this grant initiative, an organization that shares our commitment to improving the quality of patient care through innovate research and development."
Allogeneic tissues are used daily by plastic surgeons in quality of life enhancing procedures such as breast reconstruction following mastectomy and to repair large wounds. As the therapeutic applications are limitless, the study of allogeneic tissues and their use in transplantation, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine are considered high-priority research areas within the plastic surgery community.
"One of MTF's guiding principles is to advance the science of tissue transplantation through our commitment to research and technology," said Bruce Stroever, president and CEO of MTF. "The support of scientific research not only leads to advances in medical technology for the benefit of allograft recipients, but also demonstrates a commitment to honor donor families and the gift of tissue donation. We are pleased that The PSF shares our vision of supporting basic research that advances the art and science of surgery. It is our hope that these research grants will yield better ways to treat plastic surgery patients. MTF looks forward to a future of innovation and discovery in our partnership with The PSF."
The $100,000 in grant funding provided by the MTF will be administered through The PSF's "Investigator Initiated Research Grant Program." Selected research grant applications will receive funding through The PSF beginning July 1, 2013.
About The PSF
The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF), founded in 1948, supports research, international volunteer and visiting professor programs. The Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of patient care through research and development. The PSF accomplishes its mission by providing invaluable support to the research of plastic surgery sciences through a variety of grant programs, clinical trial networks, training programs and forums. The PSF works in concert with the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). You can learn more by visiting The PSF at ThePSF.org.
About MTF
The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (www.MTF.org), the nation's leading tissue bank, changes lives by connecting donors and transplant recipients. As a non-profit service organization, MTF is dedicated to providing quality tissue through a commitment to excellence in education, research, recovery and care for recipients, donors and their families. Since our inception in 1987, MTF has received tissue from more than 90,000 donors and distributed more than 5 million grafts for transplantation, including FlexHD Pliable and FlexHD Structural, acellular dermal matrices that are used in breast reconstruction and abdominal wall repair, respectively.
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http://news.cision.com/american-society-of-plastic-surgeons/r/plastic-surgery-foundation--musculoskeletal-transplant-foundation-partner-to-provide-grants-for-next,c9381997
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